Many techniques for stabilizing an elevator in a wind tower are in current practice by companies such as Power Climber Wind, Avanti, Tractel, Greifzug and others. Such techniques typically guide an elevator during vertical motion throughout the tower by using at least two vertically strung tensioned guide wires, where the guide wires are typically positioned on either side of the elevator and coupled to the elevator in such a manner as to allow vertical motion without restraint, but prevent or limit lateral and rotational motion. Typically a wind tower is 200 to 400 feet high and may include intermediate landings placed throughout the tower. Such landings are generally provided with an aperture through which the elevator may pass, and the guide wires are localized at the landing within a wirefix at each aperture and at the top and bottom of the tower to guide the elevator through the landing aperture without collision. The tension in each guide wire may be in the range 500 to 1000 lbs force to provide a strong horizontal stabilizing force on the elevator to limit unwanted motion between wirefix locations.
In the following disclosure, the term “guide wire” encompasses a wire used to constrain the path of an elevator; the term “guide component” encompasses a device attached to an elevator to connect to a guide wire; and the term “wirefix” encompasses a localizing device attached to a guide wire.